It has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,861 to utilize biaxially oriented polypropylene laminated to cellulose grade paper for use as a reflective receiver for thermal dye transfer imaging process. The preferred bonding agent in U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,861, to bond the biaxially oriented polypropylene sheets to paper, is low density polyethylene melt extruded from a slit die. Because of the high processing temperatures required for LDPE, shrinkage of the biaxially oriented sheet is common in the melt extrusion process. Shrinkage can cause undesirable changes in the Poisson ratio of the laminated receiver as well as a reduction in the optical performance of the receiver. It would be desirable to reduce the extrusion temperature of the bonding layer and an maintain acceptable integrity of the laminated support.
In the formation of color photographic paper a waterproof resin is melt extrusion coated on photographic grade cellulose paper. Polyethylene is commonly used and may be any one of a high density polyethylene, a low density polyethylene, a linear low density polyethylene or a mixture of two or more of the above mentioned polyethylenes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,507 (Kurtz et al.), linear low density ethylene hydrocarbon copolymers for extrusion coating are proposed to improve adhesion. While linear low density polyethylene does improve adhesion when compared to LDPE, LLDPE suffers from a phenomena referred to as draw resonance. Draw resonance is defined as the instability of the melt flow and is manifested as thickness variation both in the cross and machine directions. Draw resonance is a function of machine speed, becoming worse at higher line speeds. As a result, the maximum line speed at which an acceptable photographic paper can be manufactured is restricted by the onset of draw resonance.
During the manufacturing process for photographic papers, while the laminated photographic support is being emulsion coated and slit, the laminated structure is subjected to various forces in manufacturing that will cause delamination of the polypropylene sheet from the paper. The delamination may be a result of bonding layer failure to either the base paper or the polypropylene sheet. Also, when the photographic paper is being processed and finished at photofinishers, the laminated structure is also subjected to various forces in both the wet and dry state. Furthermore, when the photographic paper is kept for years by the final customer, the laminated structure is subjected to forces created by temperature and humidity changes that could cause delamination of the biaxially oriented polyolefin sheets from the cellulose paper base. Delamination of the biaxially oriented sheet from the paper during manufacturing will result in the product being wasted thus increasing the cost of manufacture. Delamination of the biaxially oriented sheet from the paper at either the photo finishing operation or in the final customer format will result in a loss in the appearance of the image and the reduction of the commercial value of the photograph. It would be desirable if a melt extruded bonding adhesive could prevent delamination of biaxially oriented sheets from the base paper during manufacture of a laminated imaging support and in the final customer format.